Trump Effect :US Withdraw from UNHRC & Stop Funding of UNRWA

Donald Trump, the 47th President of the United States of America, has signed an executive order to withdraw the country from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and permanently stop the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

He has also ordered the review of the American contribution to UNESCO and the funding of the United Nations.

Since coming into power in January 2025, Donald Trump has been following a policy in which the United States is reviewing its contribution to all international organisations. 

The world’s largest economy, the United States, contributes around 22% of the United Nations budget.

These measures were announced by US President Donald Trump after his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington D.C. on 4th February 2025.

During his meeting with Netanyahu, he also announced that the United States would take over the Palestinian territory of Gaza, under the control of Israel, and resettle its estimated 18 lakh  Palestinian population, somewhere else.

US decision to withdraw from UNHCR 

During his first presidency(2017-2021), Donald Trump pulled out of the UNHRC in 2018 accusing it of bias against Israel.

However, when Joe Biden became the President of the United States in 2021 the United States renewed its support for the UNHCR, and the United States was elected to the UNHRC in 2021 for a term of three years.

But in September 2023, the Biden administration announced that it would not seek a second consecutive term in the UNHRC.

Impact 

• The latest order of the Trump administration will not have any immediate impact on the UNHRC as the United States is not a member of the UNHRC.
• The 47 members of the UNHRC are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for a term of three years.
• However, the United States like all the 193 members of the United Nations has an informal observer status in the UNHRC. 

Withdrawal from UNRWA

Donald Trump has also suspended the American funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

In his first Presidency, Donald Trump had suspended funding to the UNRWA in 2018 but it was reversed by the Joe Biden administration later on.

In 2024 the Joe Biden administration stopped funding to the UNRWA after some of the UNRWA staff were known to be involved in the 7 October 2023, Hamas attack in Israel which sparked war in Gaza and Lebanon.

In 2024 the Israeli Parliament, Knesset passed a law to stop the operation of UNRWA from Israel which came into effect in January 2025.

The United States is the biggest donor to the UNRWA with $343 million funding in 2022 and $422 million in 2023.

Impact 

• The UNRWA budget is funded mainly by the voluntary contribution of the member countries of the United Nations. 
• If the United States stops funding it will seriously impact the working of the UNRWA.

About the UNRWA 

It was set up by the United Nations in 1949 to help the Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled from Palestine before and during the 1948 Arab -Israeli war that led to the creation of Israel.

Israel was established by partitioning Palestine by the United Nations.

The UNRWA Provides basic services like health, education, food, shelter, etc to the descendants of these Palestinian refugees living in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as well as in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

The UNRWA is funded by voluntary contributions of the United Nations member countries.

In 2024-25 India has pledged $ 5 million assistance to the UNRWA.

Headquarters: Amman (Jordan) and Gaza Strip.

About the UNHRC 

The United Nations General Assembly established the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2006.

It replaced the United Nations Commission  Human Rights, set up by the United Nations in 1946.

Functions of the UNHRC

• Works for the promotion and protection of human rights around the world;
•  Discuss situations of human rights violations around the world and make recommendations on them.;

Members 

47 members are elected for a three-year term United National General Assembly. 

The membership is distributed among regions. 13 members come from Asia,13 from Africa , 6 come from East Europe, 7 from Western Europe And other groups, and 8 from South America and Caribbean countries.

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland 

Also Read: 

US to Withdraw from WHO and Paris Climate Accord 

War in Gaza and its Background